Services for Students With Disabilities
Establishing Eligibility as a Student with a Disability
and Guidelines for Documentation

The mission of the office of Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) is to support the educational, career, social and recreational choices of SMU students with disabilities through coordination of services and reasonable accommodations, consultation and advocacy. In order to receive academic accommodations under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, students with disabilities must register with the SSD office. Academic accommodations are provided to students whose documentation provides evidence of a substantially limiting disability as defined by the federal legislation noted above. The University must receive appropriate medical and/or psychological documentation in order to provide academic accommodations.

Students who would like to be considered for services through this office must: 

  1. Print and fill out the Student Request for Services form and mail the completed form to the address listed on the form. Download the Student Request for Services form (PDF). Documentation will not be reviewed without the student's request.

  2. Submit appropriate, current documentation in keeping with documentation guidelines below. NOTE: An IEP, ARD report, or Section 504 Plan is an educational record that is rarely sufficient to document an adult disability.

Once SSD receives a student's request and documentation, the documentation will be reviewed.  An office staff member will then contact the student with the outcome of the review. Documentation of a disability usually needs up to two weeks to be reviewed to determine eligibility, so it is important to submit documentation early.

In general, documentation should include the following:

1. The credentials of the evaluator(s)

Documentation must be provided by a licensed or otherwise properly credentialed professional who has undergone appropriate training and has relevant experience; the individual making the diagnosis must be qualified to do so. For example, the following professionals would generally be considered qualified to evaluate specific learning disabilities provided that they have additional training and experience in the assessment of learning problems in adolescents and adults: clinical or educational psychologists, school psychologists, neuropsychologists, learning disabilities specialists, medical doctors, and other professionals. Licensed psychologists or medical doctors trained in diagnosing attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder are considered appropriate professionals to document this condition. All reports should be on letterhead, with the name, title and professional credentials of the evaluator, including information about license or certification (e.g., licensed psychologist) as well as the area of specialization, employment and state/province in which the individual practices. The report must also include the address, phone number, and signature of the evaluator.

2. A diagnostic statement identifying the disability

Documentation should include a clear diagnostic statement. While diagnostic codes from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) or the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) of the World Health Organization are helpful, a full clinical description may also convey the necessary information.

3. As appropriate to the disability, a description of the diagnostic methodology used

Generally, documentation should include a description of the diagnostic criteria, evaluation methods, procedures, tests, and dates of administration, as well as observations, specific results, and a clinical narrative. Where appropriate to the nature of the disability, both summary data and specific test results, including subtest and index scores, should be provided. Data should be based on age norms and reported as standard scores and percentiles.

Diagnostic methods that are congruent with the particular disability and current professional practices in the field are recommended. For example, assessments for learning disabilities should include at least one measure of aptitude and measures of achievement in reading, math, and written language. Tests considered appropriate for assessing adolescents and adults are provided in the following list. It is not intended to be definitive or exhaustive.

Aptitude

  • Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS IV)
  • Woodcock-Johnson Psychoeducational Battery - Revised: Tests of Cognitive Ability
  • Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test
  • Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale (4th ed.)
  • Wide Range Intelligence Test (WRIT)
  • Differential Ability Scales (DAS)
Achievement
  • Scholastic Abilities Test for Adults (SATA)
  • Stanford Test of Academic Skills
  • Woodcock-Johnson Pschoeducational Battery – Revised:  Tests of Achievement
  • Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT)
  • Nelson-Denny Reading Skills Test
  • Stanford Diagnostic Mathematics Test
  • Test of Written Language – 3 (TOWL-3)
  • Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests - Revised
4. A description of the current functional limitations

Information on how the disability currently impacts the individual is useful in identifying reasonable accommodations. The documentation should be thorough enough to demonstrate whether and how a major life activity is substantially limited by providing a clear sense of the severity, frequency, and pervasiveness of the condition on the individual.

5. Currency of documentation

The age of acceptable documentation is dependent upon the disability. While relatively recent documentation is recommended in most circumstances, older documentation for conditions that are permanent or non-varying may be appropriate. However, changing conditions and/or changes in how the condition impacts the individual brought on by growth and development may warrant more frequent updates in order to provide an accurate picture of the current status of the student.  For a learning disability or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, documentation should be based on an evaluation conducted within three years of the time of the student’s request for services at SMU.  Documentation for psychological disorders should be based on an evaluation conducted within six months of the time of the student’s request for services.  

6. A description of the expected progression or stability of the disability

It is helpful when documentation provides information on expected changes in the functional impact of the disability over time. Information on the cyclical or episodic nature of the disability and known or suspected environmental triggers to episodes provides opportunities to anticipate and plan for varying functional impacts and the need for reasonable accommodations and/or services.

7. A description of current and past accommodations, services, and/or medications

A description of current and past accommodations, services, and/or medications will assist SSD staff in determining appropriate accommodations and/or services. A discussion of any significant side effects from current medications that may impact physical, perceptual, behavioral, or cognitive performance is also helpful. While accommodations and/or services provided in another setting are not binding on SMU, this information may provide insight for making decisions for reasonable accommodations and/or services.

8. Recommendations for accommodations and/or services

Recommendations for reasonable accommodations and/or services that are logically related to functional limitations provide valuable information for the review and planning process. SSD, however, will make the final determination of reasonable accommodations and/or services.

These guidelines are based on the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) best practices for documentation (http://www.ahead.org/resources/best-practices-resources/elements).

If you have any questions or comments regarding these guidelines please get in touch with the director. Documentation may be personally delivered to 220 Memorial Health Center, faxed to (214) 768-1255, or mailed to the office.

Last revision - October 2009

 

 
The Office of the Dean of Student Life is a department in the Division of Student Affairs.